The Wilmingtonian., 1887-07-23

The victory obtained by our forces over
Geronimo is a notable precedent. This chief
tain, with at least forty warriors, including
a few boys and couple of squaws, held
Sonora and New Mexico in a state of siege
for nearly year. With only three battaE
ions of cavalry and six companies of infant
ry, and with the support Of a meager brig
ade of the Mexican army, we successfully
prevented his invasion of the north, and
when finally he ran out of ammunition and
surrendered, we were almost able to guard
him back to the reservation and would have
done so had he not ruthlessly broken away.
The good old days, when a territorial
sportsman could 60 out any fine, clear morn
ing and kill half dozen Indians before
breakfast, have passed away. 1t is now the
policy of the government to conduct an In
dian war without bloodshed, and of late
years the effort has been entirely successful.
The only question of moment is the one Of
expense. There are thoughtful statesmen
who contend that TO eSpend S2,0O0,0O0 and
years time to capture forty Indians who
would not bring a dollar and a half apiece at
a sheriF's sale is unnecessary and wasteful
On the other hand, too rigid economy
might result in the Indians remaining per-
manantly at large, and respectable citizens
thereby lose their hair and become humor-
lists, wandering north in great and deStrus-
tive numbers to the terror of the Inhabitants
The real cause of the prolongation of New
Mexican campaigns is the inability of officers
to sit quietly down and map out the expedi.
ton in accordance with the rules of war,
With a large family Of red ants in the front
parlor, a horned toad on the window sill
catching flies, a centipede in his left boot and
the uncertainty as 10 whether it is taran-
tua or scorpion he feels on the back of his
neck, the commanding officer is in doubt
whether to send for a case of paris green or
a dose OF bromide, and the tactical portion
of his meditation naturally suffers. Then
the constant necessity of keeping the bed
posts deluged with kerosene is apt TO make a
generals calculations go wrong, and l have
known the simple presence Of a vigorous rat
tlesnake behind the post commanders trunk
to break up his entire plan for battle.
The climate is also somewhat prejudicial to
military discipline and HaneuvVrS. New
Mexican hens lay hard boiled eggs ali
through the summer, and in midwinter the
pest trader cuts whisky with a buzz saw.
There is more solid and substantial climate
in one New Mexican day than can be found
elsewhere in a year. and for an energetic ofIi-
Ger 70 find his pack mules and bacon fried
together at the end OF march is dishearten.
ing.
Perhaps through a desire to cater to the
taste of the inhabitants nature has given
New Mexico very little water. The rivers
exist on the map, with the exception OF the
Rio Grande, which occasionally has water
enough in its course to lay the dust A
"sprng" is to be found here and there, loaded
with alkali, EPSON salts and green scum, with
an occasional coyote mired in the center to
give it q flavor.
The fauna of New Mexico are few, but of
interest. Beside sixteen varieties Of rattle
snake, twenty-one of horned toad and forty.
two of lizard there is the coyote and the
greaser. The greaser is wealthier than the
coyote | have known an opulent greaser to
possess two strings of red peppers, bushel OF
corn, a peel; OF onions and seven dogs. One
greaser, who lived near Fort McRae, was the
Vanderbilt of the section. He had nine dogs.
The coyote is so poor he cannot even afford
to keep tieas.
The coyote is superior to the greaser in that
he sings Shortly after midnight | have
known officers who had but an indifferent ear
for music to lie awake for hours listening to
q chorus Of coyotes, and expressing their
opinion in the strongest terms. \ coyote
sings every night when he has no supper, and
he gets a supper about once year when he is
In luck,
have a suggestion to submit to Mr.. Endi
pnff